Of Orphans and Murderers
by Kaiser Rio
Summary: Part 1 of I don't know. An AU in which The Midnight Crew find themselves adopting two children in the middle of a war, and flee to raise them safely, all on Club's insistence. In other words, congrats Droog, Spades, you're parents!
1. Chapter 1

The hills of Skaia were never the sort to be at peace, but during the rare times that Prospit and Derse were not at war, they were a short cut for caravans. Prospit would often escort the caravans when wartime started up again. As the 2-sweeps old Karkat Vantas and Aradia Megido sat in the back of one of the carts, watching the clouds above, it seemed nothing could go wrong... naturally, everything did.

Draconian Dignitary scowled to himself. Apparently it was so bad, even he, Jack Noir, Courtyard Droll, and the Hegemonic Brute were sent to the battlefront. He was pretty sure his beloved ruler was just playing with them- particularly Jack. He was not near the front, oh no. That was HB's position and he was doing quite a good job there, too. No, he was with CD, who was launching bombs, and fighting off any Prospit soldier foolish enough to near them from a different angle. It was boring, actually.

"Bombs away!" CD chirped happily- he was so childish, it was hard to believe he was capable of such dangerous pyrotechnics.

Several catapults flung piles of bombs. DD watched idly as they flew before CD let out a yelp.

"What is it, Droll?" DD asked irritably.

"There were innocents down there! I think some bombs even hit them!" CD said sadly, almost shrilly.

Innocents? What were they doing here? Then again, this battle was rather sudden- they must have gotten trapped between the two armies. It was a sad thing, but it was too late. They were probably all gone.

"Come on, DD, maybe there are survivors." CD said, tugging at DD's wrists.

DD stared down at CD blankly.

"Jack would understand!" CD said, pouting some.

No he wouldn't. He'd be livid if he knew they abandoned their posts.

"Look, he's down there himself!"

Sure enough, Jack Noir was nearing the smoke and burning wood from the destroyed caravan. What on earth was he doing?

"Alright, I gotta see this. Lets go."

DD gave the other pyrotechnic carapaces to continue launching at the enemy before he and CD departed down the slopes, pushing other soldiers aside.

"Jack." DD said. It was a greeting, as well as a one-word way to ask what he was doing in the wreckage.

Jack Noir turned to look back slightly.

"Draconian. What are you doing here." Not a question, a statement, and a thinly veiled threat.

"We're here to see if there are any survivors," CD said, almost defiantly.

"I doubt there is none." Jack said, almost spitefully.

"There might be!" CD insisted.

Beneath the wood and broken crates and rubble, Karkat shifted, his consciousness returning. He was sore and bleeding and he didnt want to move but something inside him urged him on. Beside him, a few feet away, he saw gray skin- a small hand poking out of even more wood and rubble. The boy moved to look over, and to his relief Aradia was not pinned beneath anything. In fact, he could easily pull her out.

"Aradia?" He called out weekly.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she glanced over. She was responsive, good. He crawled over, pushing rubble off of himself. The fire was beginning to concern him, and it slowly dawned on him that possibly everyone aside from Aradia was dead. And even then, her stillness was starting to worry him. When he was finally able to stand, he held out his hand to help Aradia up. She did nothing.

"Aradia...? We don't have time for this," he said, voice horse. "Come on, we gotta go,"

She looked up at him, but remained sitting, and now Karkat could see that she had been crying. She must be so scared, Karkat thought, but they couldn't waste time. They had to get to Prospit, past the armies, and the heat was growing more and more intense. He helped her up by force and lifted her onto his back, holding her by the legs.

"Hold onto my shoulders," he ordered, and she did, but still she was so unresponsive. He shoved debris out of the way, and soon they were out. But Derse soldiers were right there, and Karkat wanted to scream.

CD looked over and looked positively gleeful.

"Look! Someone made it!"

DD and Jack gave the two troll children shocked looks.

"Well whadya know." Jack almost cracked a smile. "Looks like you were wright, CD."

"Gosh, they must be orphans! I feel so bad now!" CD said, frowning sadly.

"Y-You stay away!" Karkat yelled, trying his hardest not to tremble. His friend was depending on him, and he couldn't afford to be scared.

"Oh, Jack, put your sword away, you're scaring him!" CD said.

Jack did nothing, instead staring Karkat down.

"Thats a nice lump of dead weight there, kid." he finally said. Why haul around a girl who wouldnt work to save herself? It was pointless.

"Aradia is not dead weight!" Karkar spat back.

The girl looked up at the sky, eyes blank still.

"Gosh, they're probably orphans now... we have to make this up to them!" CD said, tugging at DD's sleeve again.

"What? How, adopt them?" Jack asked, looking back at DD and CD.

Karkat tried to run, only to knock straight into HB. The huge man looked down at the two troll children, and pat Karkat's head gently.

Karkat was absolutely terrifying.

"Oh, Jack, that's a great idea!" CD said gleefully, clapping.

"No, CD. We are agents of Derse, and soldiers. We don't have time for kids." DD said sharply.

"But the kids-"

"No, Droll," Jack said firmly.

"Jack Noir and Draconian Dignitary, you are going to make this up to those kids and you are going to take care of them or so help me I will load your rooms with bombs!" CD practically snarled.

Jack and DD froze, and glanced at eachother. The last time CD made that threat, he fulfilled it...very well...

"I'll take the girl." DD finally said.

CD beamed. "Good!"

Jack facepalmed, growling with rage.

"Jack, we can't stay in Derse anymore." CD said.

Wait, what? That... was appealing and yet... oddly stupid. Maybe it was because CD said it.

"A warring society is no society for children!" CD insisted.

Jack Noir followed Aradia's gaze to the sky. They often symbolized new beginnings, and he needed one. He needed to get away from his exaulted ruler and he needed to get away from Prospit and Derse and their stupid opposites and those goddamn voices that haunted Derse.

"...Fine."


	2. Chapter 2

It had been a week since they had fled from the battlefield. It had been four days since Derse had sent bounty hunters after them. It had been two days since Karkat stopped rejecting anything the adults offered him, but mostly because he was hungry. Draconian Dignitary scowled, carrying the girl. She was quiet, but had no sense of self preservation, or sense of self for that matter. The other kid had to, several times, coax her to eat. And then there was the times he had woken up to see her tossing and turning in her sleep, begging some unseen force to leave her alone. Not even the boy noticed, or perhaps he did and just didn't know what to do. In fact, right now, as he sat, keeping watch for any Dersites who may try to attack, she turned fretfully in her sleep. Funny how such a hollow shell of a girl could be so emotional when she wasn't awake.

He sighed, looking away. It wasn't long until it was HB's turn to take watch, and then he wouldn't have to worry for a bit. The girl sat up, rubbing her eyes and breathing heavily. So much for that previous idea.

"...Hey, kiddo." he said.

She glanced over out of the corner of her eyes. He said nothing. She propped her arms on her knees, resting her chin on her arms and stared off into the dense woods surrounding them.

"Whats been buggin ya, kid?" he finally asked.

She slowly turned to face him.

"I know you havent been sleeping well. What is it?"

Her face twisted with something- doubt?- and he was surprised. He was so sure that she was emotionless. But she said nothing, instead laying back down. He scowled a bit, but didn't object. If she didn't want to say, she didn't want to say.

"In that case, night kid." he said, instead.

The moon was at it's peak. Time to wake up HB. DD sauntered over lazilly, to wake the larger man, when an arrow flew past him.

"The hell?" DD looked behind him, only to see several Dersites, weapons drawn.

With a yell, he awoke the rest of the crew, and Karkat did his best to lead Aradia out of the way. It was over quickly, with HB punching out many, while Jack did that stab-happy thing he always did and DD himself gained a new spear in the time it took. CD just hit things with a cane, as his bombs were, in this situation, a liability. Jack looked at the others.

"We need to start moving again." he said.

The others nodded, while the children remained by the tree, almost scared to near the group again- at least, the boy was. The girl was back to her old, near lifeless state. DD sauntered over, with a look on his face that almost dared the boy to retaliate. He picked up Aradia, telling himself that it was because it would be easier- which it would be.

"What are you doing?" Karkat asked, looking particularly displeased.

"Like she's going to move on her own. Now come on." DD said coldly.

Aradia merely sat in his arms, staring into her lap. Karkat was about to object when Jack hoisted him up.

"Quiet kid, or you'll likely give us away to other scouts." he hissed.

Karkat was about to say something when Aradia looked over at him. He sighed, crossed his arms and held his tongue. and so it went for several nights, until they happened upon a town that Derse could not touch, not without triggering a war that Derse could not win. It was the town of the magic knights, where wizards, knights, and everything in between resided together, inhabited by humans, the people of Derse and Prospit and trolls alike.

"This looks like a good place," CD chirped as the group crested over the hill, the town before them.

The rest stayed silent.


End file.
